Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Victim of the Fall	By : PrettyDesdemona Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 32726 -:- Recommendations : 5 -:- Currently Reading : 7
Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter universe or any of its characters. I do not make any money off this story. Only love!

Chapter List
- 8
- 9
- 10
CHAPTER 9

FUEL

“Is he different, has he changed what he’s about? Or is he just a liar with nothing to lie about?”

The Rusine potion carried Hermione home that night. She didn’t think she’d felt so light in years and she didn’t know whether to thank the potion or her conversation with Teodora. She had talked more than she had since the war. Either way, she almost skipped down Diagon Alley, quiet and awash with moonlight, to Flourish and Blotts.

Once back inside her flat, she made herself a cup of tea, took a large block of chocolate and her favourite book into her bedroom where she sat them on the nightstand and lit the lantern beside her bed. She stepped out of her robes and threw on her old overlarge quidditch jersey.

The bed loomed in her vision ominously. Could she go one night without crying into her pillow? Twenty four hours ago she would have said no. But tonight was different. It was a fresh start. She’d found her old tenacity, her old motivation. She would be different. Hermione stared down at her four poster bed, put her hand on her hip and held out a reprimanding finger.

“Not tonight. I am going to drink my tea, eat my chocolate and read my book; and afterwards, you are going to provide me with a peaceful night’s sleep. Understand? No more crying and no more bad dreams for a little while.” she said aloud.

The bed did not respond and Hermione took that as silent confirmation.

“Good. Thank you.”

She climbed under the covers, picked up her book and took a sip of tea as Crookshanks leapt up onto the bed, slipping under to nestle against her leg.

Fifteen minutes later, her tea and chocolate consumed, Hermione went to sleep and did not cry. Not even a little bit.

The next day, Hermione rose much earlier than usual and decided to eat breakfast in the great hall with the rest of the students at Hogwarts. At seven am she apparated to Hogsmeade station and strolled up to the castle. Frost was beginning to coat the ground as the summer months died and the grass crunched under her feet. A breeze whipped curls across her face and she smiled, breathing deep the fresh, cool air. She loved the quiet chill of the early morning. The sky was a brilliant, shining blue and the sun beat down on her pleasantly.

She stomped up the steps, through the entrance hall and into breakfast. The house tables in the great hall held only a smattering of students as it was too early for most. Hermione noticed Malfoy sitting at the Slytherin table, hunched over a mug of coffee, blonde hair falling over his eyes. She scowled. He looked up at her momentarily, showed absolutely no sign that he recognised her at all, and went back to his coffee. She raised her eyebrows, cursing him in her head, insulted at his lack of reaction. She had to laugh at herself when the words, ‘don’t you know who I am?’ rose up on her tongue.

Hermione turned her back on Malfoy and sat down at the Gryffindor table alone as Neville and Ginny hadn’t come down to breakfast yet. The hall was bright with the sunlight and hung in a peaceful quiet despite the occasional mumbled conversation. As Hermione dragged a plate of toast and a pitcher of pumpkin juice towards her, a small body stepped over the bench to sit beside her. She turned to see Ebony grinning at her with far too much enthusiasm for so early in the morning.

“Hi Hermione!” she squeaked.

“Oh hey, Ebony.” Hermione smiled.

“Mind if we sit with you?”

Hermione shook her head as Noah, Felix and Gypsy joined them, climbing onto benches beside and across from her.

“Still don’t understand why we had to wake up so early.” Felix grumbled seizing a piece of toast in his fist.

“Because it’s our first day! I don’t know how any of you could even sleep. Honestly.” Ebony rolled her eyes.

Hermione laughed loudly. Is this what she’d been like when she was young? When surrounded by these persistently happy little Gryffindors, Hermione could hardly believe there’d been a war at all. But where had they been during the battle and the months leading up to it?

“So what have you guys got first?” she asked, shaking herself out of her dark thoughts.

“Potions with Slughorn.” said Gypsy, spearing a sausage with her fork.

“Has he inducted any of you into the Slug Club yet?” asked Hermione with a wry grin.

“Only Ebony.” replied Noah somewhat resentfully.

“But he was asking about your uncle last year, Noah. Maybe he’ll invite you to one of his dinners this year.” said Ebony, her voice rising sympathetically.

“Who’s your uncle?” asked Hermione curiously.

Noah didn’t seem to want to answer. He ducked his head, staring down into his porridge.

“He doesn’t like to tell people.” said Gypsy, giggling.

“That’s not true!” said Noah hotly. He looked at Hermione and mumbled, “Cornelius Fudge.”

Hermione began to laugh. “Ok, I can understand why you don’t want people to know now.”

Noah blushed as his three friends joined in with Hermione’s laughter.

Hermione put her hand over her mouth, trying to stifle her giggles “Oh, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t laugh. I bet he’s a… a really nice man.” she tried to sound reassuring.

Noah smiled at her and shrugged, as his friends continued to chuckle.

The topic of conversation soon turned to the next Hogsmeade weekend and the four friends began to talk animatedly; comparing Zonko’s Joke shop to Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes. Hermione tuned them out. There was still another hour and a half before classes began and she wondered what she might do with the time. She was already thinking of beating the familiar path up to the library but she had no homework yet and nothing she could remember wanting to research.

But there had been something. Something her land lord had said when he showed her around her flat a week ago. It was about the buzzing. Hermione had become so used to it that she had ceased to notice the constant hum the thrummed through her space. Mr Flourish had piqued her curiosity when he told her they were taboo in the wizarding world.

Hermione stood up, hoisting her bag, which was typically crammed with books, onto her shoulder. The four third years looked at her quizzically.

“I’m off to the library, you guys enjoy your classes.” she began to walk away, “And pay attention ok?”

They all nodded, grinned and bade her goodbye.

Hermione strolled though the quiet and familiar corridors up to her favourite place in the entire world. The memorable scent that seemed to only inhabit that space reached out to engulf her as she walked through the large wooden doors and she grinned. Hogwarts library was a great, cavernous space of epic proportions, crammed with the knowledge of generations of wizards and witches. But it still managed to feel cosy and homely to her.

She strolled through the familiar aisles and began to pull titles from the shelves. Once she had a large stack of old tomes hovering along behind her, she made her way to one of the tables in the far corner of the library so she would not be disturbed. The autumn chill bit at her hands but she ignored it, dragging Great Structures of Wizarding History across the table towards her and scanning the index. But there was nothing on Dividing Lines. An Advanced Guide to Protective Enchantments and Architectural Magic and How to do it all proved equally disappointing. The Complete Compendium of Wards had a small footnote warning people against setting wards through living spaces but didn’t elaborate as to why.

She recalled Mr Flourish saying that most wizards were superstitious about the concept of Dividing Lines and so perhaps she might find some mention of them in the more superstitious texts? After replacing the books she had taken, she returned minutes later to the table with Taboo and You: a Wizards Guide to Unmentionable Magic, Superstitious Signs and The Encyclopaedia of Little Know Majiks. She was frustrated to discover that all of these proved as useless as the first four.

Hermione trawled the shelves for the better part of an hour before she began to get truly irritated. Never had she been unable to find what she was looking for in the Hogwarts library. Even when it had not immediately given results in the past, it was only because she had not been looking in the right places.

So she tried searching through books on medieval magic only to find nothing; books on defence, famous witches and wizards, and dark magic yielded just as little information.

Thoroughly annoyed, Hermione decided to seek out Madam Pince as a last resort.

She found the librarian packing away books in the magical creatures section.

“Madam Pince?”

The older woman jumped and rounded on Hermione.

“Oh! Miss Granger! How can I help you?”

“I’m sorry for disturbing you, but I heard a term the other day that I didn’t fully understand and I haven’t been able to find any books on the subject.”

“Well, that’s unlike you! What is it?”

“Dividing Lines. Do you know anything about them?”

Madam Pince looked stricken for a moment before she huffed defensively, “Certainly not! And if I did, I wouldn’t tell you!”

Hermione frowned, confused. “But, why-”

The librarian cut across her. “I know nothing about such things, and I’m ashamed at you for mentioning it! Now, out! Out!”

Madam Pince shooed Hermione out of the library angrily, shoving her bag into her arms as Hermione stumbled into the hallway.

The library doors slammed closed behind the librarian and Hermione stared at them, dumbfounded. Madam Pince was known for her quick temper, but she had never treated Hermione with so much disdain.

So perhaps Dividing Lines weren’t as innocent as they sounded? Hermione knew she should leave them be, especially if they were considered dark magic. But she didn’t even know if they were. And she couldn’t walk away from a mystery unsolved. That just wasn’t her.

She decided that she’d have to find out about them somehow. She hadn’t the faintest idea where to start, but she’d get there. She always did.

Hermione checked her watch. There was still another twenty minutes until her first Defence Against the Dark Arts class, but perhaps she could see if Teodora fancied some tea beforehand.

She began making her way down the hall, still lost in thought over the librarian’s reaction to her question and wondering about Dividing lines.

Not watching where she was going, she collided with a body, and dropped her bag.

“Oh, sorry.” the person said courteously.

Hermione was about to tell them that it was quite alright when she turned and saw who had run into her. She felt her face burn angrily. “Watch it Malfoy.” she snarled.

He looked momentarily shocked at her attitude, as if it was entirely unexpected, before muttering, “sorry.” again and turning away.

She stared at his retreating form, her mouth hanging open unattractively. Malfoy’s did not apologise. He must have been mocking her in some convoluted way.

“What?” she hissed. He paused mid step and turned around.

He raised his eyebrows questioningly, politely, “Pardon?”

She walked towards him, fists clenched at her side, leaving her bag on the floor where it had fallen.

“What did you say to me?” she growled.

“I said I was sorry.” he looked confused. “What’s the problem?”

“The problem?” she laughed cruelly, “It might have something do with the fact that you’re a liar and a death eater. You might have manipulated McGonagall and enchanted the rest of the school with that pathetic speech, Malfoy, but you don’t fool me. I know you. I know what kind of human being you are. You are the type of gutless, poor excuse for a man who stands by and watches others get tortured, you evil, conniving fuckwit!” her chest heaved as she stared him down, the words pouring from her mouth like verbal diarrhoea. He looked so confused by her outburst; she wished with all her heart that she could revisit their third year and strike him.

He stared back at her, frowning sightly as if deciding what to do. She could practically hear the cogs in his head turning. After a moment he smirked and sauntered towards her, hands in his pockets. The gesture was so familiar to Hermione and brought back so many horrible memories that her palms sweated and she felt sick.

“What do you want, Granger? A hug?” he sneered.

The fog cleared from her mind and Hermione pointed her finger at him, laughing maniacally. “HA! I KNEW IT! I knew it! I knew that speech was bullshit! You’re exactly the same as you’ve always been aren’t you?!”

Malfoy laughed condescendingly and shook his head. “I don’t have to prove anything to you, Granger.”

He turned to walk away but Hermione wasn’t done.

“What? No parting words of wisdom, Malfoy?” she called after him, “Not going to make fun of my hair or teeth? Not going to call me a mudblood?”

He stopped and turned towards her slowly. She almost flinched as he strode forwards until their faces were inches apart.

“Do not use that word in front of me.” his voice was almost a whisper, low and threatening.

The taunting smile vanished from Hermione’s face but she held his gaze defiantly.

“Mudblood. That’s what I am, isn’t it, Malfoy? Look!” she pulled up her right sleeve, “Your aunt left me a little reminder, just in case I forgot!”

The word shone silver on her arm and Malfoy stared at it silently. He looked sick.

Hermione narrowed her eyes, “What is wrong with you?” she said quietly, “What? Did Voldemort remove your spine? Can’t handle a little scar? Must be a refreshing change from the Dark Mark on your arm. Because to tell you the truth,” she leaned closer to his face, her voice lowering maliciously, “I’d rather bear this scar for the rest of my life than ever have to set eyes on that again.”

Malfoy’s right hand twitched as he stared down at her. For a moment, a look of distress crossed his face and Hermione almost felt guilty. Almost.

He took a shaky breath. “I’m sorry for running into you. Don’t forget your bag.”

And with that, he turned and marched away from her, down the corridor.

Hermione was five minutes late to Defence Against the Dark Arts as she’d spent too much time standing in the corridor outside the library staring into the space Malfoy had vacated.

She had absolutely no idea what to make of him at all. On the one hand, he seemed completely out of character. He had apologised to her when he’d run into her for god’s sake. But perhaps he’d always done that, just never with her? Some of the looks he’d given her and some of the things he’d said were exactly like normal though, which led her to believe that his mask was slipping.

Thankfully, when she finally arrived at the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, completely out of breath, she found that their teacher had not yet arrived.

She noted that the classroom looked much the same as Teodora’s office. Her classmates were seated on the stiff cylindrical pillows in front of low tables. The room danced with colour in the same magical sort of way and Hermione felt instantly at home. She was disappointed to see that Malfoy had not chosen to give up the class like Neville and was sprawled casually on one of the cylindrical pillows. He rolled his eyes when he saw her enter, as if he was thinking exactly the same thing.

She also noted that this class was the smallest she had ever been in; consisting of only nine other students, some she recognised and some she did not. Ginny, Luna, Susan Bones and Padma Patil sat together up the front with a brown haired Gryffindor girl Hermione didn’t know. Blaise Zabini sat with a blonde Slytherin girl, their heads together, whispering near the back. Hermione took a seat behind a Hufflepuff seventh year she’d never seen before, well away from Malfoy.

Minutes later, Teodora exited her office and stood in front of the class. She took a moment to study each member individually, as if sizing them all up, before she spoke.

“My name is Teodora. I am not professor and I will not answer to ma’am or miss. You will call me by the name my mamica gave me and nothing else. This is because we are equals. I will not call you by your last names. You will not call each other by your last names. Because you are equals. You are tovarasi. This means ‘comrades’.

“For many years you have been taught to defend yourselves against whatever curse or dangerous creatures may sit in your path. And in the last year, you used those skills well in your war. But never have you learned how to defend yourselves from the dark arts. Tell me, how many of you have used a curse on another person? Raise your hands.”

All of them bar the brown haired Gryffindor and the Hufflepuff in front of Hermione put their hands in the air. Teodora nodded as if this came as no surprise to her.

“Now, how many of you have cast an unforgiveable curse?”

All the Slytherins in the class kept their hands in the air and so, to everyone’s surprise, did Hermione. She had, after all, tried to use the cruciatus curse on herself mere days ago. Ginny stared back at her, frowning.

“So. You four have heard the call of the dark arts. You four are the ones who know how hard it is to walk away from afterwards. This is what I will teach you. This year, we will not be learning counter curse or jinxes, we will not be learning about werewolves or Dementors. This year we learn to protect our minds and our souls from the dark arts.”

Teodora paused as the class looked up at her suspiciously. To say that she wasn’t unorthodox would have been a lie. Hermione couldn’t decide whether she thought this was all a horrible idea, or a brilliant one.

“Look at the people around you. From today, these people will be your peers for the rest of your lives. You are all joined by this school, by this class and by your war, no matter which side you are on. Whether you like each other or not, you are now tovarasi.”

Teodora stopped to stare around at them all. Hermione seemed to share the general feeling of contempt for considering some of her other classmates ‘comrades’.

“Everyone stand.”

The class obeyed, and with a wave of her wand, Teodora moved the tables and pillows to stack neatly along the walls of the room.

“Form a circle.” They did. Hermione stood between Luna and Ginny with a rising feeling of trepidation.

Teodora began pacing around the outside of their circle. “Now. I want you to tell your tovarasi your name and what you did in the last year of the war.”

Everyone, no matter what side they fell on, seemed shocked and unhappy about this task. Teodora pointed at Ginny, who looked alarmed. “You go first.”

Ginny glanced nervously at Hermione who shrugged sympathetically. She looked back at Teodora. “My name’s Ginny Weasley and-”

Teodora cut across her. “No, no, do not tell me, tell them.” She gestured to the rest of the group.

Ginny looked grumpy and took a breath, staring around at her classmates. “My name is Ginny Weasley. I… um… I was here until about halfway through the year. Then I went home.”

Teodora gave Ginny a long suffering look. “Ok, now tell us what you did. What was your contribution?”

Ginny frowned. “Well, we had these teachers. The Carrows. They were really cruel and they liked to hurt people. I guess I tried to help protect the younger students.”

“You took curses for children, Ginny?” asked Teodora.

Ginny nodded and stared hard down at her feet.

“And then? You left, why?”

“My brother was one the run with Harry and Hermione and he’d been sighted. So my parents withdrew me.”

Teodora nodded and gestured towards the rest of the class. “Thank her for her contribution.”

Hermione chimed “Thanks Ginny” along with everyone else. Ginny gave a small smile.

Teodora pointed at Zabini. “Now you.”

He jut his chin out defiantly and glared superiorly at his classmates, “My name is Blaise Zabini. My family remained neutral. I attended Hogwarts and attempted to stay out of trouble.”

To Hermione’s surprise, Ginny scoffed.

“Pretty comfy in the green zone wasn’t it?”

Blaise’s eyes flashed angrily. “Sorry I don’t have the hero complex like you and Saint Potter.”

“Fuck off Zabini.”

Like the rest of the class, Hermione looked quickly at Teodora, expecting her to step in or reprimand Ginny for swearing but the older woman just continued to stalk around the outside of the circle, watching the exchange between Ginny and Zabini with what seemed like polite interest.

“The world isn’t split up into angels and death eaters, Weasley. Just because I sat on the fence does not mean I am an awful human being.” said Zabini imperiously.

“Her name is Ginny, Blaise.” Teodora reprimanded, “Now tell me. What do you mean by sitting on the fence? Explain.”

“I don’t condone violence, but I’m not interested in taking a curse to prevent it.” said Zabini.

Ginny rolled her eyes.

“Alright. Was that all?” Teodora looked between Ginny and Zabini, who both stared resolutely at the ground. She nodded approvingly. “Good. Now thank him for his contribution.”

Ginny looked mutinous but grumbled, “Thank you.” along with the rest of the class.

Teodora gestured toward the blonde Slytherin girl standing beside Zabini.

“My name is Isobel Holub. My father was a death eater. I attended Hogwarts and did whatever the Carrows told me to do.” She stared angrily at Ginny as she spoke, as if daring the redhead to pick a fight with her as well.

“Is your father in Azkaban?” asked Teodora.

The cockiness in Isobel’s eyes seemed to disintegrate.

“No.”

“He is running?”

A nerve twitched in girl’s face. “My father would never run.”

“He is dead?”

Isobel nodded, her jaw working backwards and forwards, staring at Teodora with open hatred.

“Do you know who killed him, Isobel?”

“The Dark Lord.”

“How do you know this?”

Isobel’s eyes began to water. “I saw it.” she said through clenched teeth, her face stony.

The class remained silent. Hermione stared at Isobel, her heart clenching as she watches the girl’s face. A battle fought itself away in her head. Isobel’s father was a death eater, so didn’t he deserve what he got? But by the same token, did Isobel deserve to see it?

Teodora ordered them to thank her. They did. She gestured for them to move on.

The small brown haired Gryffindor next in line looked like she wanted to reach out to Isobel and offer her comfort. She jumped when she realised Teodora was looking at her expectantly. “Um… my name is Juliet DeMarco. My parents are muggleborn. They took me and my brothers into hiding in Thailand. I sat on a beach for a year.” she laughed nervously. “But it wasn’t… I didn’t like it. I wanted to come back and help but mum wouldn’t let me… I didn’t know who would be alive when we came back. I didn’t know if my friends were ok. I wasn’t allowed to write to anyone.”

“Did you lose friends in this war?” asked Teodora.

Juliet nodded and put her hand over her mouth.

“Who?”

Juliet looked up at her pleadingly, as if begging her not to make her speak. Strangely, her eyes shifted to Ginny who looked confused.

“Fred Weasley. He was… We were…”

Hermione gasped and Ginny let out a small squeak.

“He was what, Juliet?” pressed Teodora.

Juliet shook her head, her face wet with tears. “I can’t.”

Teodora nodded.

“Thank you.” said Ginny thickly. The class followed suit.

Teodora pointed at Padma next who shifted uncomfortably.

“My name is Padma Patil. I was here at Hogwarts last year. I, um, tried to teach myself medicinal magic so I could heal students who had been injured because the Carrows wouldn’t let muggleborns or half bloods into the hospital wing.”

“Why did you do this?” asked Teodora.

“I just wanted to help.” said Padma in a small voice.

“Is that all?”

Padma took a breath as if she realised she’d have to open up for Teodora to leave her alone.

“My twin sister. The Carrows broke all the fingers on her right hand for writing notes to her friend during class. They wouldn’t let her go to the hospital wing. I couldn’t help her. So I went to the library and smuggled out a book on healing so that I could.”

Padma received an extra strong ‘thank you’ from everyone in the room and Hermione got the feeling that the Ravenclaw girl hadn’t just healed half bloods and muggleborns.

The Hufflepuff boy Hermione sat behind at the beginning of the lesson was next. “My name is Eli Jackson. I tried to go on the run with my family but we were captured by some snatchers and sent to Azkaban early in the year.” he said all this very quickly.

“The Dementors guarded your cell, Eli?”

He nodded. “Day and night.”

“Did you see them give the kiss?”

“I did. Many times. The cells were overcrowded. They wouldn’t take those who were kissed out afterwards. So we had to feed them and…” his voice faltered.

“How did you survive it with your mind, Eli?” asked Teodora quietly.

“I had a book.” he answered, “I hid it in my shirt when they took us. I read it every day.” he shook his head, “Don’t ask me what it is. I won’t tell you.”

Teodora nodded and the class thanked him without prompting.

Next came Susan. “My name is Susan Bones. I spent the year camping in Ireland, trying to stay away from snatchers.” she looked marginally guilty, given that Eli had just said he’d been taken to Azkaban, but he smiled at her kindly and she visibly relaxed.

“Were you alone, Susan?” asked Teodora.

“I was at first, but I met a group of Irish wizards who were on the run too and they helped me. For a little while. But then I left them.”

“Why?”

Susan wrung her hands as they began to shake and her voice rose in pitch slightly. “We were out in the middle of nowhere… There weren’t any women. Only me. It was my fault really. I wasn’t… I wasn’t thinking.”

Hermione’s stomach lurched and she thought for a moment that she was going to vomit. The other girls in the circle looked equally as pale. The boys looked like they didn’t want to hear it.

“It’s alright, Susan. I will not make you go on.”

Susan muttered “Thank you.” and Teodora patted her shoulder as she walked past. The first contact she had made with any of the students that lesson.

Hermione felt her insides clench as she realised who was next.

“My name is Draco Malfoy. I was a death eater. And I do not want to be thanked for that.”

Teodora stopped her pacing and looked at him. “Draco, I would like for you to tell us what it was like to take the life of another person.”

Malfoy looked stricken. The effect on the rest of the class was profound.

Juliet shrieked. Isobel was shaking her head backwards forwards violently. “No! I don’t want to hear it!”

Susan had actually clapped her hands over her ears. Ginny cradled her stomach, as if she might be sick. Zabini had turned his head away from Malfoy in disgust. Eli was swaying dangerously. Padma was staring at Malfoy in wide eyed horror, as if she only just seen him properly.

Teodora ignored the rest of the class and stared hard at Malfoy.

Hermione prayed with everything she had that he would refuse to answer, that he would let Teodora pass on to Luna.

He opened his mouth.

“I didn’t.” he said quietly, “I have never cast the killing curse.”

“Never?” asked Teodora.

“Never.”

Their teacher beamed. “Then you are no death eater.”

Malfoy seemed to deflate. Hermione thought for a second that she saw his eyes glisten, but he ducked his head and stared at the floor.

“Thank him.” ordered Teodora.

The class all said “Thank you.” quietly, but Hermione kept her mouth firmly shut. She would not thank him. He may have never taken someone’s life but he still tortured them. He still stood by and did nothing. Teodora caught her eye, and Hermione knew her teacher had noticed but she remained silent.

Teodora pointed at Luna who smiled serenely beside Hermione. “My name is Luna Lovegood. I attended Hogwarts for the first half of the year before I was taken off the Hogwarts Express by death eaters and then I spent the rest of the time in Draco’s basement.” she looked directly at Malfoy and he stared back at her. He looked scared. Luna tilted her head to the side slightly. “The accommodation was alright but I didn’t care for the food…”

There was a moment of deathly silence before Malfoy smiled. Juliet let out a chuckle and immediately clapped her hands over her mouth in shock. Ginny seemed to find this funny and she laughed. Soon, the whole class was giggling at Luna and Juliet. The tension in the air receded like the tide.

Hermione did not laugh. How could Luna be so forgiving? It was almost incomprehensible to Hermione how the younger girl could look at Malfoy and not want to tear out his heart. She’d seen Luna after six months in the Malfoy’s basement and it didn’t exactly look like she’d been on holiday.

Hermione was suddenly aware that everyone in the class was looking at her expectantly.

“My name is Hermione Granger. I…” she realised she had no idea what to say. “I…” her throat felt like it was closing up. “Um…” It was only a matter of time before the tears started flowing. Hermione began to seriously contemplate throwing herself out of the classroom window. They had all been through so much, seen so many awful things, how could she compare?

“Help her.” said Teodora.

“You searched for Horcruxes.” said Ginny immediately. “So that you could make Voldemort mortal again.”

“You saved Ollivander and Dean and Griphook and me from Malfoy Manor.” said Luna.

“You and Harry and Ron were beacons of hope for those of us in Azkaban.” said Eli, to Hermione’s surprise.

“Us too.” said Susan.

“We knew that while you and Harry and Ron were still alive, there was something to fight for.” said Padma.

“If you weren’t around, the Dark Lord would still be here, tearing apart people’s lives.” said Isobel.

“I always had hope that my home and my friends would be alright, as long as you three kept fighting.” said Juliet.

“Potter would never have gotten so far without your intelligence.” said Zabini.

“You looked after them Hermione. You made sure they were safe and you took care of them.” said Ginny thickly.

“You saved two death eaters from the Fiendfire they cast to kill you.” said Malfoy quietly, looking like he’d eaten something sour.

The whole class said a strong “thank you” in perfect synchronicity. Even Malfoy.

Silence hung in the air and Hermione stared around at her classmates in shock. A warm feeling bloomed in her chest.

“Beautiful.” said Teodora quietly, proudly, “Now, you are tovarasi.”

Kain - Thanks for the insight! I agree about Hermione, I'm growing to love her so much in this fic. She really is putting so much shame on herself and sometimes, I find it hard not to get frustrated with her. But then she's pretty frustrated with her too huh? But she still is Hermione. I think she'd need to go hugely downhill to turn into a vixen! Thanks for the love and please, keep reviewing!!

Tori - Thank you so much! Real is what I'm going for. Every single little thing Hermione does or feels or says in this story comes from my questioning myself as to how I would react. And I think that's where the reality comes from. The road to recovery is rocky, and sometimes involves one step forwards, two steps back. But I have faith that she'll get there in the end in her own special way.

dh_reader - I'm so glad you liked it!! I think the most pertinent question here is, is Draco actually seeking redemption? Or is he already redeemed? And what the fuck does redemption actually look like anyway? lol. It was really important to me to get Draco to take responsibility for his actions in his speech. I think that's the ooc really, cause the Malfoy we know would never have done that. But then, something may have pushed him to that point huh?

Teodora is absolutely my new favourite character. I love her dearly. Even though she sometimes doesn't speak english too well haha. (btw, still hugging you!)

The quote at the beginning of this chapter is from Ani Difranco's song Fuel. Her music has served as a huge inspiration for this piece. I own nothing. Thanks Ani!
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Victim of the Fall